Vaccinations Begin in Congo Ebola Outbreak

THURSDAY, Aug. 9, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Vaccinations against Ebola began yesterday in an effort to stem the latest outbreak in Congo.

Three thousand doses of the experimental vaccine are being sent to North Kivu province. The first to be vaccinated will include health workers, contacts of confirmed Ebola patients, and their contacts, the Associated Press reported. The vaccine was used in a previous Ebola outbreak in Congo that was declared over last month.

In another measure, the World Health Organization said Ebola screening of travelers at the Congo-Rwanda border was "already in high gear," the AP reported.

The new outbreak was declared Aug. 1 and there have been 17 confirmed cases, 27 probable cases, 47 suspected cases, and at least nine deaths. There have been about 36 deaths from hemorrhagic fever since the start of the outbreak, but officials said many of them have not been confirmed as Ebola deaths, the AP reported.